"The qin sounds quite nice." Qi Shaorong held his chin and smiled as he quietly spoke.
Zhuang Hao said to Qi Shaorong, "Bi Liuyun is a rare musical master, this lofty mountains and flowing water piece has a calming effect."
Qi Shaokang drank a mouthful of tea, then said, "Bi Liuyun, this person, is not weak in terms of strength either. If this person was born in a one of the four major families, he surely would've gotten a place in the Seven Imperial Talents."
Qi Shaofu winked and said, "The qin performance is almost over, Bi Liuyun will then pick a young handsome talent to enter the room and chat with him. Many of the pract.i.tioners in the Capital are proud to become Bi Liuyun's 'intimate friend beyond the screen.' Hao ge, I think you will most likely be chosen. There is no one in the Capital from the younger generation that are on par with you."
Zhuang Hao smiled contradictorily and looked over at Qi Shaorong, "That may not be."
"Hao ge, you're too modest. In this hall of people, which one can compare to you ah!" Qi Shaofu exclaimed.
Qi Shaorong looked at Qi Shaofu and secretly thought: This idiot, Qi Shaokang was still here yet this guy recklessly continued to boost up Zhuang Hao with both hands, he simply had no sense on danger.
The song came to an end, and immediately won an outstanding applause from the whole audience.
Bi Liuyun came out from behind the curtain. Qi Shaofu somewhat excitedly cried out, "Bi Liuyun came out, he actually came out!" Bi Liuyun generally always stayed behind the curtain and would just direct a servant to announce the selected guest.
Bi Liuyun walked over to the Zhuang Hao's table, and opened his mouth, "Ghost Doctor qianbei, one doesn't know if Liuyun may have the fortune to invite you to converse inside."
Qi Shaorong stood up, smiling as he said, "I am honored."
Qi Shaorong followed Bi Liuyun into the inner courtyard of Luo Hua Xuan, leaving behind Zhuang Hao's whole table looking at each other in dismay.
"Gege, Bi Liuyun chose Ghost Doctor qianbei, he didn't chose you," said Zhuang Qian.
Zhuang Hao nodded, "En. I saw."
Qi Shaokang had on a somewhat schadenfreude smile and a bit teasingly said, "Ah Hao, I knew that since you came, I would have no chance. Just, I never expected that you would also have no chance."
Zhuang Hao smiled, and replied, "With Ghost Doctor qianbei here, it's not that strange that I also didn't stand a chance. That's right, how much do you know about your Fourth Brother?"
Qi Shaokang creased his forehead, and looked at Zhuang Hao in surprise, "Haven't you already backed out on the engagement, how come you all of a sudden ask about him."
Chen Yuan shrugged and said, "Shaokang, you don't know but Ghost Doctor qianbei and that brother of yours are friends. Very, very good friends."
Qi Shaokang completely didn't expect this, and curiously said, "Really? I really didn't know about this."
Chen Yuan looked at Qi Shaokang, and complained, "In order to take revenge for your brother, the Ghost Doctor spared no effort in ridiculing me."
Qi Shaokang, "Really?"
"Yes! That's why, how much do you know about your Fourth Brother?" asked Chen Yuan.
Qi Shaokang frowned, and answered, "When Fourth Brother was sent out, he was only six years old. After that, we never got any news about him. So now, counting the years, it already been about ten years."
Chen Yuan looked at Qi Shaokang, and shook his head as he sighed, "Your family's concern for him is really too little. You don't know that when you place that kind of guys outside for ten years, who knows how twisted he can become."
Qi Shaokang looked at Chen Yuan, and asked, "What's wrong with him?"
"Nothing much. Just that he painted his whole face like a jiangshi, and when he spoke, his words were sharp enough to make you want to die," said Chen Yuan.
"Sharp enough to make you you want to die? You were scolded by him?" asked Qi Shaokang.
Chen Yuan, "ā¦ā¦"
"Shaokang, what's your impression of your Fourth Brother?" Zhuang Hao interjected.
"When he was young, he was somewhat autistic. All the children in the family, Father, and Paternal Grandfather didn't like him very much. He often stayed alone in the manor. Thinking about it now, aside from his autism, he was also narcissistic. I remember seeing several times that he would look in a small mirror and admire himself," answered Qi Shaokang.
"What about you Shaofu?" Zhuang Hao turned to ask Qi Shaofu.
Qi Shaofu didn't think that he would also be asked, and was stunned for a moment, then said, "Me? I remember Fourth Brother had a very low status in the family. Several children would hit him with stones, Father saw it but never said a word and directly avoided him. At that time, Fourth Brother's head was bleeding as he watched Father's back as he left. I suppose Fourth Brother's mentality would be a bit distorted."
Zhuang Qian frowned as he exclaimed, "I always felt that Uncle Qi was very kind ah! How can he be so cold-blooded ah!"
"Fourth Brother's birth, in Father's eyes, is a kind of shame," whispered Qi Shaokang.
Qi Yao's apt.i.tude itself was quite good. Qi family's standing is prominent, but it actually gave birth to a son who was a waste. Good things don't go beyond the door, but bad things spread a thousand miles. Qi Yao, this kind of proud person simply couldn't accept that he gave birth to a waste of a son.
Zhuang Hao frowned, but didn't say anything. Qi Shaorong's situation could be considered as Qi family's family matters. He shouldn't interfere too much.
Lofty mountains and flowing water ā [é«å±±ęµę°“ ā gÄo shÄn liĆŗ shuĒ] sublime musical composition. Well, there's also another meaning of an intimate and understanding friend
Intimate friend beyond the screen ā Signifies a close relationship or confidential person.Ā Ā In ancient China, screens/ curtains were used to separate the s.p.a.ce inside the house., and inside would be privateĀ s.p.a.ce. So the guests who enter the screen/curtain would usually have a very different or close relationship with the owner.
Jiangshi ā Chinese "Hopping" Vampires . A type of reanimated corpse Although itās translated as Chinese hopping vampire, its literal meaning is āstiff corpseā. They donāt drink blood like the vampires weāre familiar with, but instead they drinkĀ qiĀ or life energy. They are now commonly know as Chinese āHoppingā Vampires due to marketing purposes for theĀ Hong Kong horror movies during the 1980s and 1990s